SPECIAL REPORT NO. 449 | MAY 2019 UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE www.usip.org Perspectives on Peace from Taliban Areas of Afghanistan By Ashley Jackson Contents Introduction and Methodology .................................3 Experiences of the Conflict .................................. 5 Noncombatant Views on War and Peace ........................8 Taliban Views on War and Peace ..................... 12 Taliban and Noncombatant Views of Postconflict Life ......... 18 Conclusion .................................. 19 Members of the Helmand Peace Convoy rest in Kabul after marching more than three hundred miles from Lashkar Gah to protest the war. (Photo by Massoud Hossaini/AP/ Shutterstock) Summary • For noncombatants living in are- • Taliban members were broadly re- iban fighters, strongly objected to as of Afghanistan under Taliban sistant to the idea of peace talks the Taliban’s restrictions on their control or influence, the greatest with the current Afghan govern- lives, particularly on their movement desire is for an end to violence. Al- ment, which they view as un-Islam- and access to health care and edu- though many Taliban fighters also ic and illegitimate, and objected to cation. are tired of the conflict, they ex- the idea of a power-sharing deal • There was a strong sense that the press little desire to lay down arms with the government. legacy of the conflict must be ad- until their goals are achieved. • Both noncombatants and Taliban dressed as part of any peace pro- • Taliban members consistently artic- members alike assume that under cess. Justice was seen as a mix ulated two objectives—withdrawal any peace deal, the Taliban would of punishment for the most egre- of US forces and establishment of a retain control in its strongholds gious offenses and forgiveness. At “truly” Islamic government. Howev- and seek to consolidate power in the local level, a structured, legiti- er, few had concrete ideas on how currently contested areas. mate process of acknowledgment, such a government would differ • The majority of women in Talib- atonement, and forgiveness will from the current Islamic republic be- an-controlled areas, including those need to be created. yond strict implementation of sharia. married or otherwise related to Tal- USIP.ORG SPECIAL REPORT 449 1 SPECIAL REPORT NO. 449 | MAY 2019 ABOUT THE REPORT This paper examines perspectives on peace and reconciliation among people living in areas of Afghanistan where the Taliban have significant influence or RECONCILIATION control. Based on interviews with noncombatants, local Taliban members, and senior Taliban leadership, this study offers insights into their views on peace talks and the prospects for postwar reconciliation and justice. This research was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and facilitated by the Conflict, Security and Development Research Group at King’s College London. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ashley Jackson is an associate researcher at the Conflict, Security and Development Research Group at King’s College London. Her work focuses on mediation with insurgencies, and she has published extensively on Afghanistan, where she served as a political affairs officer with the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan and as head of policy for Oxfam. The views expressed in this report are those of the author alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Institute of Peace. An online edition of this and related reports can be found on our website (www.usip.org), together with additional information on the subject. © 2019 by the United States Institute of Peace United States Institute of Peace 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Phone: 202.457.1700 Fax: 202.429.6063 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.usip.org Peaceworks No. 449. First published 2019. ISBN: 978-1-60127-767-1 2 SPECIAL REPORT 449 USIP.ORG A resident of Pul-e Alam points to damage to a home following coalition airstrikes supporting an Afghan security forces operation in August 2017. (Photo by Ahmadullah Ahmadi/EPA-EFE/ Shutterstock) Introduction and Methodology Long-stalled diplomatic efforts to end the war in Afghanistan gained new life in 2018. The Afghan government, the Taliban, and international forces observed mutual cease-fires for three days over the Eid al-Fitr holiday in June. Few could have predicted this remarkable turn of events: the people of Afghanistan observed the holiday with little violence and no civilian casualties, and pictures of Taliban members, government forces, and civilians celebrating together flooded social media. A significant shift in US policy on talks with the Taliban also created new momentum. Having decided to speak directly with the Taliban leadership during a new round of peace talks, the United States named Zalmay Khalilzad, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, as the government’s special envoy in September 2018. The United States and the Taliban have since engaged in several rounds of negotiations, but these talks have primarily focused on two core issues: the withdrawal of US troops and the Taliban’s willingness to provide counterterrorism guarantees. Intra-Afghan peace talks remain elusive. The Taliban refuses to talk directly to the Afghan govern- ment until an agreement on US troop withdrawal is secured. The current government consequently has been sidelined in peace efforts, although Taliban officials have met with Afghan politicians and former government officials in nonofficial talks. The broader consequences of a deal between the United States and the Taliban remain unclear, but many Afghans have raised serious concerns that it will imperil the survival of the government and the gains made since 2001, particularly in human rights, women’s rights, and freedom of the press. Many fear that the United States will expedite a USIP.ORG SPECIAL REPORT 449 3 UGANDA HELMAND, LOGAR, AND UZBEKISTAN TAJIKISTAN WARDAK PROVINCES RWANDA TURKMENISTAN KENYA IN AFGHANISTAN Adapted from artwork by Rainer BURUNDI Lesniewskiparunto/Shutterstock IRAN AFGHANISTANTanga deal to end its military involvement TANZANIA at the expense of Afghanistan’s Maidan Shahr Kabul ZanzibarPAKISTAN long-term stability. President Don- Pul-e Alam Wardak Dar es ald Trump has voiced increasing Logar Morogoro Salaam impatience with US military in- Helmand volvement in Afghanistan; for ex- ample, reports in December 2018 Lashkar Gah suggested that he intended to withdraw half of all US troops. Notably absent from the de- MOZAMBIQUE bates around peace in Afghan- istan have been the voices of those in areas that have borne the brunt of the fighting and that have seen few gains since 2001. This report attempts to provide insights not only into how Afghans in Taliban-influenced areas view the prospects for peace, but to answer questions such as what requirements would have to be met for local Taliban fighters to lay down their arms; how has progress on peace talks been viewed at the local level; how do views between noncombatants and Taliban members, and men and women, differ; how do views on a political settlement and a future state differ between Taliban members and civilians; and what should be done to support local reconciliation and transitional justice? This report is based on ninety interviews conducted between October 2018 and February 2019. Seventy-eight of the interviews were conducted in Helmand, Logar, and Wardak provinces—some face to face; others, because of security concerns, were conducted remotely. Approximately half of those interviewed were noncombatants, of which a third were women. The other half identified as Taliban. Many of this latter group were local fighters, commanders, and district officials, several of whom also described themselves as mullahs or maulavis (religious scholars or clerics). The semi- structured interviews covered a key set of issues and events, including participants’ experiences of the conflict, the cease-fire over the Eid al-Fitr holiday in 2018, and ongoing peace talks. In addi- tion, twelve interviews were conducted with senior Taliban figures and interlocutors in Afghanistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates over the past year. This second set of interviews provided context and elucidated where the views of local Taliban diverge from or converge with those of the leadership. The report also draws on other similar studies to contextualize its broader findings. The three provinces were selected in order to evaluate how dynamics vary across areas where the Taliban has significant influence or control. In Logar Province, twenty-eight interviews were conducted in Charkh District. In Wardak Province, twenty-three interviews were conducted in two neighboring districts, Saydabad and Chak. These areas have long been largely Taliban con- trolled, and subject to ongoing violence in the form of airstrikes, ground combat, night raids, and improvised explosive devices. In Helmand Province, twenty-seven interviews were conducted in 4 SPECIAL REPORT 449 USIP.ORG Nawa, Nad Ali, and Marja districts, south and east of the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah. A woman in Wardak Province talked about These areas have been subject to a tug-of- wanting to see peace simply because she war between the Taliban and government, could not imagine what it might be like, with control repeatedly changing hands. At explaining that she was “now 21 years old the time this research was conducted, how- and my whole life has been spent in war.” ever, large sections of these districts were under de facto Taliban control. As in Logar and Wardak, the violence continues.1 Experiences of the Conflict All of the people interviewed for this report had been affected by war-related violence and had lost relatives or friends. Many traced the beginning of the fighting back to 2003 or 2004, and described a general environment of insecurity, punctuated by more extreme violence, in the years since. Some referred to several wars over the past decade (using phrases such as “in the first war . ” or “during the second war . ” in their narratives) because their villages had changed hands multiple times. Narratives of the conflict portrayed a relentless sense of fear and uncertainty marked by pe- riodic surges of violence.